Why did God take the Prophets Enoch and Elijah while still alive?
No one knows for sure if there are any other connections between the two men. Most proposed connections require a future event that would link the two in another way to explain their unique departure from earth. But, I believe there is another past connection between the two Prophets that is discernible for the Bible.
In my research for the Novel “Killing Abel” I propose another possible link between the two prophets. This link provides a truly Novel and plausible reason as to why God took Enoch and then Elijah directly to Heaven.
The connection between Enoch and Elijah? I believe they both prophesied a similar type of event, specifically, a three year drought. 1 Kings 17 and 18 is Elijah's drought prophecy.
For whatever reason God choose not to tell us much about Enoch. In my book “Killing Abel” I lay out what could have happened in prose to explain why Enoch was taken alive.
I believe that God gave us the clue below as to Enoch's prophecy.
God waited until a prophet was tasked with the job of warning of a coming drought and then He took Elijah as a sign to us, helping us discover Enoch's prophecy. They both were taken alive and they both prophesied a 3 year drought. Proverbs 25: 2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter
I believe that Enoch was taken to give him standing among the people who he prophesied to. He was the first prophet, it makes perfect sense that God would have done something to give His prophecy great standing among the people. Taking him directly to Heaven would have given his prophecy some real staying power, as Enoch's prophecy would have to endure 666 years.
Connect the dots below and I think we have a good idea of just what Enoch was saying in his last days on earth.
Gen. 7:11 The fountains of the deep broke open, that means they were closed, meaning there was a drought. The creeks would have dried up, just like in 1st Kings 17.
God would have warned the people of the coming judgment of every man women and child on earth.
That waning would have been from a prophet.
The only prophet in that time that we know about is Enoch.
God would have given the first prophet great standing among the people for at least two reasons. First, this appears to be the very first prophet and prophecy. Second, this was not just any prophecy, we are talking about hundreds of millions of dead from the drought alone, many innocent children dying horrible deaths.
There are several interesting time frames in Gen 5. Enoch was sixty five when he had Methuselah. Gen 5:21 Methuselah was 300 years old when Enoch was taken. 696 years later would have been the flood. If the drought was going to be 3 years it would have started in 666 years. And Methuselah would be 966 years old and then would be 969 when the flood starts, I don't think those ages are all coincidental. I would guess that God gave Enoch 3 years to warn the people of the coming drought and then with 666 years left to the flood God took Enoch giving him standing as a the first prophet. That is a lot of 6s and 9s.
The time frame seems excessive at first glance but men who heard the prophecy directly from Enoch would have still been alive and witnessed the fountains of the deep exploding. And all of them as they suffered the drought would have told the young and the innocent of Enoch's message. Just as God would have wanted.
Elijah was taken in the same manner as Enoch
.
Conclusion: I think this makes a convincing case for a plausible connection between Enoch and Elijah. They were both prophets, they both were taken alive and both of them prophesied a drought. The former two are God's clue for the discovery of the latter.
No one knows for sure if there are any other connections between the two men. Most proposed connections require a future event that would link the two in another way to explain their unique departure from earth. But, I believe there is another past connection between the two Prophets that is discernible for the Bible.
In my research for the Novel “Killing Abel” I propose another possible link between the two prophets. This link provides a truly Novel and plausible reason as to why God took Enoch and then Elijah directly to Heaven.
The connection between Enoch and Elijah? I believe they both prophesied a similar type of event, specifically, a three year drought. 1 Kings 17 and 18 is Elijah's drought prophecy.
For whatever reason God choose not to tell us much about Enoch. In my book “Killing Abel” I lay out what could have happened in prose to explain why Enoch was taken alive.
I believe that God gave us the clue below as to Enoch's prophecy.
God waited until a prophet was tasked with the job of warning of a coming drought and then He took Elijah as a sign to us, helping us discover Enoch's prophecy. They both were taken alive and they both prophesied a 3 year drought. Proverbs 25: 2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter
I believe that Enoch was taken to give him standing among the people who he prophesied to. He was the first prophet, it makes perfect sense that God would have done something to give His prophecy great standing among the people. Taking him directly to Heaven would have given his prophecy some real staying power, as Enoch's prophecy would have to endure 666 years.
Connect the dots below and I think we have a good idea of just what Enoch was saying in his last days on earth.
Gen. 7:11 The fountains of the deep broke open, that means they were closed, meaning there was a drought. The creeks would have dried up, just like in 1st Kings 17.
God would have warned the people of the coming judgment of every man women and child on earth.
That waning would have been from a prophet.
The only prophet in that time that we know about is Enoch.
God would have given the first prophet great standing among the people for at least two reasons. First, this appears to be the very first prophet and prophecy. Second, this was not just any prophecy, we are talking about hundreds of millions of dead from the drought alone, many innocent children dying horrible deaths.
There are several interesting time frames in Gen 5. Enoch was sixty five when he had Methuselah. Gen 5:21 Methuselah was 300 years old when Enoch was taken. 696 years later would have been the flood. If the drought was going to be 3 years it would have started in 666 years. And Methuselah would be 966 years old and then would be 969 when the flood starts, I don't think those ages are all coincidental. I would guess that God gave Enoch 3 years to warn the people of the coming drought and then with 666 years left to the flood God took Enoch giving him standing as a the first prophet. That is a lot of 6s and 9s.
The time frame seems excessive at first glance but men who heard the prophecy directly from Enoch would have still been alive and witnessed the fountains of the deep exploding. And all of them as they suffered the drought would have told the young and the innocent of Enoch's message. Just as God would have wanted.
Elijah was taken in the same manner as Enoch
.
Conclusion: I think this makes a convincing case for a plausible connection between Enoch and Elijah. They were both prophets, they both were taken alive and both of them prophesied a drought. The former two are God's clue for the discovery of the latter.